Posted on Tuesday 6th January 2026
Chris Large: 'We're investing more in what matters to the people of Staffordshire.'
Almost 120 extra staff are to be appointed to Staffordshire’s children’s services.
Staffordshire County Council is allocating an additional £5.5 million to boost early intervention, front line practice and manage staff caseloads in a new drive for excellence.
The spending boost is part of the authority’s budget plans focusing on investing in essentials, paying off debt where possible and making efficiencies to deliver a balanced budget for 2026/27.
Chris Large, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Finance and Resources, said:
As well as investing in the future of our children, we are adding an extra £15 million to the highways budget and have also identified a further £21.5 million of efficiencies for the next financial year.
With around two-thirds of our Budget spent on care for the young and old, taxpayers should know that we have scrutinised expenditure from top to bottom and are determined to get the best value from every pound we spend.
As well as providing investment where it’s needed, we are identifying efficiencies so we can invest more in what matters to the people of Staffordshire.”
The additional money for Staffordshire’s Children’s and Families service will fund the equivalent of 119 extra full-time jobs in the next two years.
Priorities include investing in front-line staff to reduce caseloads and a focus on early intervention to keep families together where it is safe to do so. That includes supporting families through schools, family hubs and community-based services.
As well as delivering better long-term results for children, the preventative approach saves the cost of providing long-term care.
The net budget for 2026/27 is £840.8 million, with around £506 million being spent on care.
As the council must present a balanced budget by law, the authority has focused on finding efficiencies. Examples include:
- reducing placement costs in adult social care;
- using early interventions to require fewer placements for children;
- reviewing longstanding contracts;
- Separately to today’s plans, £1 million already saved from recruitment freeze on non-essential posts
Although the Government expected local authorities to increase council tax by 4.99 per cent, the council is looking to keep it as low as possible at 3.99 per cent.
This is comprised of a 1.99 per cent general increase and two per cent ringfenced for social care. If approved, Staffordshire remains one of the lowest county council taxes in England and the increase equals £1.24 a week for a Band D property.
Chris Large added:
We have a legal duty to balance the books on our spending and I’m proud that because of good financial management we have managed to keep the council tax as low as possible and still invest in Staffordshire.”